Girard-Bonnet’s Caferlane is a single-parcel cuvée from the historic vineyards of Oger Grand Cru, where only around 25 cm of soil lies over exposed chalk. This shallow, competitive soil naturally concentrates the grapes, giving the wine intense aromatics and depth, balanced by the distinctive saline character of Oger’s terroir.
Style
A precise and structured Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, showcasing the intensity and chalky minerality of Oger. Vertical, elegant, and gastronomic.
Vineyard
Single vineyard Caferlane, in Oger Grand Cru, Côte des Blancs. Old massal-selection vines grow on very shallow soils over pure limestone, naturally limiting yields and enhancing concentration and mineral intensity.
Winery
Aged extensively in barrel and bottle, allowing the wine to develop depth while preserving its taut, mineral character.
Nose / Palate
Ripe citrus, pear, and subtle almond notes. Taut and precise, with firm chalky structure, vibrant freshness, and a distinctly saline, long finish.
Oger is one of the most expressive Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, renowned for Chardonnay with a naturally generous, rich and creamy personality. Compared with the more austere and linear style of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger or the greater tension of Avize, Oger tends to show more breadth, ripeness and texture, while retaining the chalk-driven freshness and saline character that define the Côte des Blancs.
The village is characterised by its pure chalk soils, with some of the most interesting parcels lying where the chalk comes very close to the surface. These shallow soils naturally limit the vines and encourage concentration in the grapes, while the deep chalk beneath the roots contributes Oger’s distinctive mineral and saline signature. The result is Chardonnay that combines aromatic richness with remarkable freshness.
In the glass, Oger often reveals ripe citrus, white and yellow peach, pear, white flowers and subtle almond or hazelnut notes, developing greater creaminess and depth with age. The palate is broad and generous, yet the chalk gives the wine a precise mineral backbone and a long, mouth-watering finish.
Oger’s particular strength is this balance between power and elegance. Its Chardonnay can be immediately seductive and textured, but the best examples possess enough acidity, minerality and saline tension to evolve beautifully over time. This makes Oger especially compelling in warm vintages, when its natural generosity can develop into remarkable depth without losing freshness.
For lovers of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, Oger offers a distinctive interpretation of Grand Cru terroir: more generous than Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, more textured than Cramant, yet still unmistakably chalk-driven, saline and precise.
Caferlane is one of the historic vineyard sectors of Oger Grand Cru, and part of Girard-Bonnet’s parcel-focused range created to reveal the individuality of each terroir. The site is characterised by very shallow soils, with only around 25 cm of earth over exposed chalk, creating a particularly direct relationship between the vines and the limestone beneath them.
This poor, competitive soil naturally limits the vines and concentrates the berries, giving the Chardonnay remarkable aromatic intensity. At the same time, the chalk brings the saline, mineral freshness that is essential to Oger.
Caferlane expresses the naturally generous personality of Oger: ripe citrus and white fruit, floral aromas and a broad, concentrated palate, balanced by a distinctly chalky and saline finish.
The result is a Chardonnay of concentration without heaviness — a precise expression of an old Oger sector where shallow chalk soils give the wine both richness and mineral energy.
2020 is a strong vintage for Oger Chardonnay, combining the warmth and ripeness of the year with the chalk-driven freshness that defines this Grand Cru village. The warm, dry growing season produced concentrated fruit, while the best Oger vineyards retained enough acidity to keep the wines energetic and precise. Examples from the vintage show a particularly convincing balance of ripe fruit, texture and saline minerality.
In Oger, 2020 tends to emphasise the village’s naturally generous personality: more flesh, ripe citrus and stone fruit, with a broader, creamier texture than cooler years. At the same time, the chalk gives the wines a firm mineral core and saline finish, preventing the richness from becoming heavy.
"The 2020 Blanc de Blancs Oger Caferlane, disgorged in November 2025 with a dosage of two grams per liter, derives from a site planted in 1989 and, like Les Musettes, was vinified in a combination of wood and stainless steel. It is a close-run contest this year between Girards two single-vineyard offerings, with this wine expressing itself in the glass with aromas of orange peel, Granny Smith apple, wheat toast and quince. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and displays a slightly richer, sunnier profile that is supported by racy acidity, concluding in a long, sapid finish. Originating from an east-facing site with shallow soils, where chalk lies just 25 centimeters below the surface, it comes in at around 13% alcohol and is a good prospect for mid-term drinking."
2026-03-12
